German Tourist Trampled to Death by Elephant in Zimbabwe as She Tried to Take Photo

A 49-year-old German woman was trampled to death by an elephant in a popular game reserve in northern Zimbabwe as she tried to photograph it, a wildlife official said Thursday.

The attack happened on Wednesday at the Mana Pools game reserve after the woman apparently left the protection of the vehicle she had been travelling in.

“The information we have is that the tourists encountered a herd of elephants when they were entering the park and they started taking pictures,” said Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

“We do not know what irritated the animals which resulted in the woman being attacked.

“She passed on last night (Wednesday) from injuries.”

The woman was not named by officials.

Attacks by elephants are common in Zimbabwe which has a population of around 84 000 pachyderms.

Last year a trained elephant trampled a tour guide in Victoria Falls, a tourist resort in the country’s west.

Another local man was also killed in a separate incident last year after he had tried to drive elephants into the open to take pictures.